The present invention relates to a cooling system for use in a food preparation table having open top food containers; and, more particularly, to a cooling system for use in the food preparation table capable of making temperature of the foodstuffs remain in a preferred temperature range by using cold air to keep foodstuffs refrigerated freshly for a long time.
Food preparation tables are generally installed in restaurants and sandwich stores and include more than one open top food containers for holding various refrigerated foodstuffs. The refrigerated foodstuffs include usually various kinds of vegetables, hams, cheeses, etc. In order to keep those stuffs fresh for a long time, the temperature thereof has to be maintained between certain temperatures, e.g., 32xc2x0 F. and 40xc2x0 F., a temperature range promulgated by National Sanitation Foundation (NSF).
But, since the foodstuffs in the food containers are usually exposed to the ambient air whose temperature tends to be above the temperature range promulgated by NSF, the ambient air supplies heat to the foodstuffs. Therefore, if the food preparation table does not get rid of the heat supplied to the foodstuffs by the ambient air, the temperature of the foodstuffs reaches rapidly to that of the ambient air.
To remove the heat transferred to the foodstuffs, the food preparation tables has usually adopted two kinds of methods. One is to employ cold wall refrigeration enclosures around the food containers. The other is to blow cold air onto the foodstuffs and the food container so that the cold air can absorb heat from the foodstuffs and form an air curtain above the foodstuffs to thereby prevent heat from being transferred to the foodstuffs from the ambient air.
The first method causes some parts of the foodstuffs to be frozen. So the second method has been widely employed in the food preparation tables. One of such food preparation tables employing the second method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,719 issued to Branz. In Branz""s device, cold air supplied from a cold air supplying passage disposed around the food containers flows above the foodstuffs contained in the food containers and then enters into a food-storage compartment through a re-entry passage disposed opposite to the cold air supplying passage.
However, when the cold air supplied above the foodstuffs enters into the food storage compartment through re-entry passage disposed opposite to the cold air supplying passage, ambient air also enters there. Further, the cold air passing above the foodstuffs contained in the food container absorbs heat from the ambient air as well as the foodstuffs. Accordingly, an apparatus for cooling air, which circulates in the food-preparation table, consumes more electricity than actually needed.
In addition, an apparatus for supplying the cold air consumes large amount of electricity in order to form an air curtain between the foodstuffs and the ambient air by jetting the cold air since the apparatus for supplying the cold air needs to jet the cold air without stopping.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a more efficient food preparation table with open top food containers than conventional ones.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a food preparation table for preparing food and refrigerating foodstuffs including:
at least one open top food container for holding foodstuffs;
a cooling device for absorbing heat from air;
an accelerating device for forcing the air to flow; and
an air-supplying device for making a first portion of the air flow around the open top food container and a second portion of the air stacked above the foodstuffs contained in the open top food container.